Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too''' is the first special. It originally aired on December 14, 1991. Plot Two days before Christmas, Christopher Robin writes out a letter to Santa Claus for him and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, asking for the following presents: * Rabbit wants a new fly swatter to use against the bugs who constantly invade his garden * Eeyore wants an umbrella to prevent snow from falling on his house * Tigger wants a snowshoe so he can bounce in the snow * Christopher Robin wants a sled "big enough for me and maybe a friend or two” He sends the letter off into the wind—but the next day, Winnie the Pooh realizes, after Piglet informs him, that he didn’t ask for anything himself, so they go find the letter, which hasn’t gotten very far. Afterwards, they, along with Tigger and Eeyore, go to Rabbit’s house and rewrite the letter to include what Pooh wants (a pot of honey, of course). Along the way, each of them upgrades their desires (Rabbit wants a bug sprayer, for instance). Following this, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rabbit go off to get a tree big enough for "the stuff we’re gettin’”, with help from a reluctant Gopher (he’s supposed to be hibernating). In the meantime, Pooh and Piglet go back to the point where Christopher Robin sent the letter and cast it off into the wind again. But the wind shifts southward, and the letter follows Pooh all the way to his house. Knowing that the rest of the gang won’t get their presents as a result of this, Pooh takes it into his (and Piglet’s) hand to make sure the gifts are delivered. Disguised as Santa, Pooh sneaks out and delivers Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore a super-bouncer barrel, a bug sprayer, and a mobile home, respectively - or rather, handmade versions of said items that break apart upon use. Demanding to know what’s going on, the three of them corner "Santa”, who insists that he is who he claims to be. But then, Piglet (who is disguised as a reindeer) slips and makes his sled fall downhill, thus loosening Pooh’s disguise. After explaining what happened, Pooh decides to try and deliver the letter to Santa himself, leaving the rest of the gang behind to wait up for him. But he does not get very far in his journey before the wind suddenly takes the letter, so he gives up and goes back to the gang. By this time, the other animals are sad at missing the bear, especially Piglet, who has then grown a conscience and decided that his best friend is more important than Christmas, and then he offers to give up his present to have Pooh here, to which the others agree. Eventually, Pooh comes home, to their delight. Even after he tells them that he failed in delivering the letter, though, they’re happy to have him back, because now they’ve realized what Christmas is really about. Afterwards, Christopher Robin rides into the scene on his sled and brings them the gifts they had originally asked for to begin with. Broadcast history and video releases The special was first broadcast on ABC in 1991, and was prefaced with an introductory segment by then-CEO Michael Eisner, accompanied by the walk-around costumed characters of Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore, who bring in a palm tree as a Christmas tree. To fill out the hour the special was scheduled for, it was followed up by the Donald Duck cartoons The Hockey Champ and Bearly Asleep, and ended with a sneak peek at Disney’s most recent animated movie at the time, Beauty and the Beast. This was repeated the following year, but with a sneak peek at the next movie, Aladdin, at the end. Subsequent broadcasts of the special accompanied the special with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episode "The Magic Earmuffs”. The special left the network after 1999, and would eventually return on ABC Family in 2008, where it was broadcast with some abrupt edits (including two scenes being cut entirely) When it aired on Disney Channel, Rare Credits is used. The special was released to VHS in 1994, with the video also containing "The Magic Earmuffs" and a cartoon starring Spot the Dog. The VHS was re-released in 1997 with the same bonus features, plus a sneak peak at Recess. Currently, the special itself has not had its own DVD release, but it is integrated as a flashback in the direct-to-DVD film A Very Merry Pooh Year, although it has some slight editing there to match the main story in the film - Christopher Robin’s lines are re dubbed with a British accent, as he lacks one in the special and New Adventures series, and Rabbit’s fur, which was oddly colored a light green in this special and the New Adventures series, is recolored yellow. Characters * Winnie the Pooh * Piglet * Tigger * Rabbit * Eeyore * Gopher * Christopher Robin * Bugs * Santa Claus (mentioned) * Holly (indirectly mentioned) Cast Trivia *While many people consider this as a finale for The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, it is uncertain if the episode is officially part of its canon. *Paul Winchell returned as the voice of Tigger in this Christmas special. Credits '''Produced by WALT DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION Producer/Supervising Director KEN KESSEL Producer JAMIE MITCHELL Director JAMIE MITCHELL Written by KARL GEURS MARK ZASLOVE With the Voice Talents of PETER CULLEN JOHN FIEDLER MICHAEL GOUGH EDAN GROSS FRANK WELKER KEN SANSOM JIM CUMMINGS as Winnie the Pooh and PAUL WINCHELL as Tigger Assistant Producers DONNA ALCOCK SMITH TRACI TOLMAN Storyboard Designers HOLLY FORSYTH GEORGE GOODE HANK TUCKER Storyboard Designers ROY SHISHIDO PHIL WEINSTEIN Key Layout Designers DENNIS GRECO ED GHERTNER Character Designers KENNY THOMPKINS LEN SMITH Prop Design DENNIS GRECO Background Stylists GARY EGGLESTON BILL LORENCZ Color Stylists ROBIN DRAPER YOLANDA REARICK Supervising Timing Director MARLENE ROBINSON MAY Timing Director BRIAN RAY Script Coordinator LEONA JERNIGAN Archives Supervisor KRISTA BUNN Art Coordinators KAREN SILVA WILLIAM WAGGONER Talent Coordinators LYNNE BATCHELOR JAMIE THOMASON Post Production Manager SARA DURAN Post Production Supervisor JOSEPH HATHAWAY Sound Dubbing Supervisor CHRISTOPHER KEITH Post Production Coordinators JEFFREY ARTHUR JOHN ROYER Track Reader SKIP CRAIG Post Production Assistant NANCI BATTELLE Production Assistants MICHELLE ROBINSON PAUL FABELA JOHANNE BEAUDOIN Shipping Coordinator CRAIG SIMPSON Managing Film Editor RICH HARRISON Supervising Editor CHARLIE KING, M.P.S.E. Sound Editors RICK HINSON, M.P.S.E. DAVID LYNCH JERRY WINICKI Dialogue Editors JENNY HARRISON ANDY ROSE ADR Editor TALLY PAULOS Assistant Editors JAMES N. HARRISON ROBB S. PAULSEN Theme By STEVE NELSON & THOM SHARP Animation Production by WALT DISNEY ANIMATION (FRANCE) S.A. Producers PAUL BRIZZI GAETAN BRIZZI VHS Release The VHS Release features this special, and "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" episode "Magic Earmuffs”. Plus after the show, features a bonus short of Spot called "Spot’s Winter Sport”. The Rare VHS Release has the Rare Credits. DVD Release *Christoper Robin’s lines are re-dubbed by William Green except for "Hi, Guys!”. And instead of "What kind of presents are you gonna ask for?”, the change was "What kind of presents would you like to ask for?”. *Rabbit’s fur has been recolored to yellow, as opposed to green in the original version. * This special was included as a flashback in the 2002 direct-to-video movie Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year. *When Pooh and Piglet fell onto the ground, a splat noise was added. Category:The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episodes Category:Winnie the Pooh Video Releases Category:Christmas Specials Category:The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Category:Holiday specials Category:Videos Category:DVD Category:1991 Episodes Category:The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Season 4 Category:Vhs Category:VHS Category:Stubs Category:Stub Category:Book